Ripple is recommending that the XRP Ledger community withdraw XLS-38, a long-running amendment designed to enable native cross-chain bridging across XRPL networks, according to a Ripple engineer blog post published Aug. 27.
The company says the amendment's primary use case is now better served by Axelar, a cross-chain protocol that operates across more than 70 blockchain networks with roughly 70 active validators. Ripple cites limited developer demand for XLS-38 as a second factor. Removing the implementation would eliminate more than 10,000 lines of code from the ledger.
XLS-38 has been under development for years as a way to let the XRP Ledger communicate directly with other blockchains without intermediaries. The amendment requires community consensus to activate; Ripple's recommendation to withdraw it does not automatically remove it from consideration. The decision could still change if developers present compelling use cases to the community, according to Ripple.
Axelar's architecture routes cross-chain messages through a set of validators that observe and attest to transactions on connected networks. The protocol has become the de facto standard for EVM Sidechain interoperability since launching its mainnet in 2023. Ripple specifically cites Axelar's ability to serve the EVM Sidechain use case as the reason to sunset XLS-38 rather than maintain duplicate infrastructure.
The XRP Ledger operates as a decentralized network where amendments require supermajority support from validators to activate. Ripple runs several validators but does not unilaterally control the ledger. The company's recommendation carries weight as a major contributor but requires the broader developer community to ratify any withdrawal.
Polygon, Arbitrum and Optimism have all shifted resources away from proprietary bridging solutions toward integrations with shared-security protocols like Axelar and Hyperlane. Removing 10,000 lines of unexercised code reduces maintenance burden for XRPL developers and simplifies the ledger's codebase.
The withdrawal would require an explicit amendment to the XRPL consensus process. If the community ratifies Ripple's recommendation, Axelar becomes the primary path for applications seeking to move value between the XRP Ledger and other chains.
